Automatic vending machine for picture postcards and the like



Dec. 12, 1967 A. PAMPALUCHI 3,357,596

AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE FOR PICTURE POSTCARDS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 1, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1967 A. PAMPALUCHI AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE FOR PICTURE POSTCARDS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov.

United States Patent 3,357,596 AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE FOR PICTURE POSTCARDS AND THE LIKE Arthur Pampaluchi, Tuschgenweg27, Zurich, Switzerland Filed Nov. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 591,209 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-67) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to an automatic vending machine for picture postcards and the like, which are arranged crisscross in groups of at least one card each in a vertical pile, and which are guided by bars passing through the corners of the cards arranged crisscross, the rotatably mounted bars being provided with stops for the lowest card in the pile and means being provided for pivoting these bars and stops after the insertion of a coin.

According to the invention, the bars are coupled in pairs by guide plates, and the arms of a double-armed lever pivotably mounted below the pile each engage with an indentation in the plates, one of the arms extending into the zone of a locking device which is released by the insertion of a coin, while a third arm provided on the lever projects outwards through a slit in the housing of the automatic vending machine.

The drawing illustrates, as follows, an example of the automatic vending machine according to the invention:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the automatic vending machine;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the internal equipment of the automatic vending machine;

FIG. 3 is a section along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a lateral view of a detail of the internal equipment.

The automatic vending machine shown in FIG. 1 has a housing with a detachable front panel 1 which can be aflixed to the housing by means of a lock 2. The front panel bears a frame 3, to accommodate samples of the articles offered for sale, particularly picture postcards, which can be extracted from the automatic vending machine after the insertion of a coin through the slot 4 and the lateral displacement of a knob 5. These cards then emerge through a slit 6 in the front panel 1.

These articles for sale are arranged in the housing either individually or in groups, crisscross fashion and in a vertical pile. For guiding the pile, bars 7 are provided in the spaces between the projecting ends of the cards 8 placed on one another crisscross fashion.

The bars 7 are pivotable about their longitudinal axis and are fitted with stops 9 on which the lowest card 8 in the pile rests by its ends.

The bars 7 are connected together in pairs by guide devices 10 in the form of plates which, by means of a double lever 11, are displaceable in relation to one another and in each case in opposite directions. The double lever 11, which is pivotable about a stationary pin 12, extends through indentations 13 in the guide plates 10.

An arm 14 on the double lever 11 extends through a slot 14' in the front panel 1 of the housing and is fitted 3,357,596 Patented Dec. 12, 1967 on its free end with the knob 5. In place of the arm 14, rigidly connected to the double lever 11, a thrust bar may also be flexibly connected to one arm of the double lever, in which case the free end, extending through a slit in the front panel 1 of the housing, likewise bears a knob.

The housing contains a vertically guided plate 15 which is raised in opposition to its weight when the double lever 11 is pivoted after the insertion of a coin. The plate 15 is raised by means of a projection of one arm of the double lever 11, which projection engages a ratchet segment 16 pivotably mounted on the plate 15. A pawl 17 on the plate 15 interacts with the ratchet segment 16 and engages with its teeth but is free of these latter when the segment is in its two final positions. These final positions correspond to the final positions of the double lever 11. When the knob 5 and thus the double lever are inadvertently not moved into these final positions, the weight of the plate 15 presses them into the final position via the pawl 17 and the ratchet segment 16. In an intermediate position, however, the pawl 17 and the ratchet segment 16 prevent the double lever from moving back before its final position has been reached.

On the plate 15, a lever 18 is mounted so as to be pivotable in a horizontal direction about a pin 19 provided in the plate. The free end of this lever interacts with a stationary stop 20, which prevents the plate 15 from being raised as long as the lever 18 is held by a spring 21 in its position of rest underneath the stop 20. An arm 25, extending to the side and provided on the lever 18, extends into the path of a coin channel 22 for the coin 23 inserted through the slit 4.

This coin 23 rolls over the arm 25 until it encounters an adjustable fixed stop 24.

If, after the insertion of the coin 23, the double lever 11 is pivoted by means of the knob 5, the plate 15 is moved upwards to a certain distance. In this process the arm 25 slides along the periphery of the coin, thus pivoting the lever 18 to a distance sufficient to ensure that the free end of the latter is free of the stop 20. The plate 15 can now be freely moved in an upward direction, in which process the coin 23 can fall down between the arm 25 and the stop 24 into a till which is not shown in the drawing.

The complete pivoting movement which the double lever 11 is now able to perform results in a displacement of the stops 9 by an angle of degrees. The cards hitherto resting on the stops are released and fall down onto a floor inclined towards the slit 6, so that they can be extracted from the automatic vending machine, through the slit.

The stops 9 are now situated underneath the ends of the cards which follow the extracted cards in the pile and of which the position in the pile is transversal to the said cards.

Behind the slit 4 the coin channel 22 is fitted with the known means, not shown in the drawing, for testing the size, weight and magnetism of the coins.

For each coin, the three cards shown as samples in the frame 3 can be extracted, i.e, a group of three cards in each case situated transversely to the adjacent group in the pile.

Needless to say, the automatic vending machine can also be equipped for the issue of fewer or more than three cards for each coin inserted.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic vending machine for picture postcards and the like which are arranged crisscross in groups of at least one card each in a vertical pile, comprising rotatably mounted bars passing in the corners of the pile of cards arranged crisscross fashion for holding and guiding the said cards; stops arranged on the said bars for supporting the lowest card in the pile; means for pivoting the said bars and stops after the insertion of a coin; guide plates coupling the said bars in pairs; a double-armed lever pivotably mounted underneath the pile, the arms of this lever each engaging an indentation in each of said guide plates and one of the arms connecting with a looking device releasable by the insertion of a coin; and a third arm on the said lever extending through a slit of a housing of the automatic vending machine.

2. The automatic vending machine of claim 1, wherein the said locking device comprises a plate which is vertically displaceable in opposition to its own weight and which bears a ratchet segment pivotably mounted thereon,

4- as well as a pawl which is clear of the said segment when the latter is in either one of its final positions, a horizontally pivotable arm being provided on the upper end of the said plate and being displaceable from beneath a fixed stop in opposition to the action of a spring by means of an inserted coin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,434,057 10/1922 Horwitt 221-67 3,158,288 11/1964 Muller 221 s7 STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE FOR PICTURE POSTCARDS AND THE LIKE WHICH ARE ARRANGED CRISSCROSS IN GROUPS OF AT LEAST ONE CARD EACH IN A VERTICAL PILE, COMPRISING ROTATABLY MOUNTED BARS PASSING IN THE CORNERS OF THE PILE OF CARDS ARRANGED CRISSCROSS FASHION FOR HOLDING AND GUIDING THE SAID CARDS; STOPS ARRANGED ON THE SAID BARS FOR SUPPORTING THE LOWEST CARD IN THE PILE; MEANS FOR PIVOTING THE SAID BARS AND STOPS AFTER THE INSERTION OF A COIN; GUIDE PLATES COUPLING THE SAID BARS IN PAIRS; A DOUBLE-ARMED LEVER PIVOTABLY MOUNTED UNDERNEATH THE PILE, THE ARMS OF THIS LEVER EACH ENGAGING AN INDENTATION IN EACH OF SAID GUIDE PLATES AND ONE OF THE ARMS CONNECTING WITH A LOCKING DEVICE RELEASABLY BY THE INSERTION OF A COIN; AND A 